richard dickey
the sound of flowers

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” – John Muir 1913

Visualize yourself standing amongst a sea of orange poppies; so vast they expand across the desert plain reaching into the far distant foothills. A soft wind stirs and slowly the air is filled with the sound of flowers flapping in the breeze. The growing sound of a million satin petals surround and envelope you, a very soft subtle noise that grows to a loud ruffling and rustling making the landscape seem to vibrate beneath your feet.

Visible ripples of wind move across the flowered plain like long sets of waves on an ocean. Scents of flowers invade your nose, smells like honeysuckle, grape, mint, lemon-licorice or jasmine blend and morph into an incense of the desert in spring.

One becomes aware of the palpable sense of "giddy" energy radiating from the land. Beyond rational explanation, a feeling of lightness and completeness flows from the desert in full bloom as if Mother Earth herself were laughing with flowers.

This work is an archive of depth, weight and passion documenting a rarified moment in the California wilderness.
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